election

Bangladeshi television projections showed the Bangladesh Nationalist Party led by Tarique Rahman heading for a substantial victory in the first national elections since a deadly 2024 uprising, with the party pushing past the 150-seat threshold needed for a parliamentary majority. Official results had not been released and counting continued late Friday. Senior BNP leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said in a party statement the opposition had won a “sweeping victory,” without releasing figures, and urged supporters to offer prayers…

MOGADISHU — Somalia has won a seat on the African Union Peace and Security Council for the 2026–2028 term, a diplomatic milestone that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud on Wednesday cast as proof of the country’s renewed standing on the continent and beyond. In a national address, Hassan Sheikh said the election reflects Somalia’s growing credibility and the reemergence of its voice in regional affairs after years of rebuilding state institutions. “This victory demonstrates the significant progress of Somalia’s diplomacy and…

TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is on course for a sweeping victory in snap elections, with her ruling bloc securing a two-thirds majority in the powerful lower house, according to media estimates Sunday, a result likely to buoy her agenda while unnerving Beijing and financial markets. Early projections show the Liberal Democratic Party winning about 300 of the 465 seats contested — up from 198 in the last vote — positioning Takaichi’s party to regain a stand-alone majority and possibly a supermajority without…

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre met Saturday with U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Justin Davis to deepen cooperation on Somalia’s security campaign and navigate a fraught political calendar, as the federal government presses constitutional changes and debates the framework for the 2026 elections. The meeting at Mogadishu’s Halane base camp covered the government’s military offensive against al-Shabaab and ISIS, along with efforts to stabilize newly recovered areas, according to a readout from the prime minister’s…

In Mogadishu’s Dec. 25 municipal vote, the promise of direct democracy met the reality of centralized power. Marketed as a landmark step toward universal suffrage and a prelude to Somalia’s 2026 presidential contest, the election in the Banadir region looked—by design and outcome—like a nomination process dressed up as a popular mandate. That tension goes to the core of Somalia’s electoral dilemma: in a fragile state without a census, credible registries or impartial institutions, the rush to “one person, one vote” can…

Somalia pledges inclusive dialogue as Jubaland, Puntland State allege flight blocks ahead of election talks MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s federal government on Tuesday reaffirmed its commitment to preserving national unity and advancing an inclusive political dialogue, even as tensions rise with the Jubaland and Puntland State regional administrations over security arrangements before planned election talks. In a statement, the government said it remains fully committed to an open, broad and constructive consultative…

Standoff threatens Somalia’s election talks as UN calls for urgent dialogue MOGADISHU, Somalia — Somalia’s latest push to unlock political talks on elections hit a new snag Sunday after a security dispute grounded delegations from Puntland State and Jubaland, prompting the United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNTMIS) to urge swift, good-faith dialogue to keep negotiations on track. In a statement posted on social media, UNTMIS said preparatory teams from the two regional states were unable to reach…

UN mission, UK back Somalia’s plan for inclusive election talks as tensions mount Friday January 23, 2026 MOGADISHU — The United Nations Transitional Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNTMIS) has welcomed the Somali federal government’s decision to convene a national consultative forum and formally invite the Somali Future Council, a leading opposition alliance, as political tensions rise over the country’s electoral timeline. In a statement Wednesday, the UN mission reaffirmed its support for an inclusive political dialogue…

WASHINGTON — Former special counsel Jack Smith on Wednesday defended his now-abandoned prosecutions of President Donald Trump, telling the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee that his team developed proof “beyond a reasonable doubt” that Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the 2020 election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden. “Rather than accept his defeat in the 2020 presidential election, President Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results and prevent the lawful transfer of power,” Smith said in…

Former special counsel Jack Smith mounted a rare public defense of his now-abandoned prosecutions of President Donald Trump, telling the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee that Trump “engaged in a criminal scheme” to overturn the 2020 election and that investigators had developed “proof beyond a reasonable doubt.” “Rather than accept his defeat in the 2020 presidential election, President Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results and prevent the lawful transfer of power,” Smith said, adding that the…